A Sacrifice
by EverHere
Summary: After years of being apart, Ahsoka and Rex still haven't forgotten each other. AU for timeline changes.


Author's Note: Hi! This is my first Star Wars fan fiction and also my first romance story. I appreciate constructive criticism, and I hope you enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or any of its characters.

A Sacrifice

Rex watched her as she deftly weaved her way through the soldiers filling up the corridor and gently passed by him, only a slight breeze giving away that she had just walked by. His eyes followed her to the end of the corridor where she then turned to the right and disappeared from view.

She still amazed him. From that little bratty togruta he had first met, to the obedient and patient padawan, and now to the skilled and respected Jedi Knight of only twenty-four years of age. He himself had grown twice as fast, like every other clone, and now was in his early forties. He should have been closer to early thirties, but clones were made for fighting, not for long lives. Not that he was complaining; it was miracle he had even survived this long after all the battles he had fought.

But sometimes when Rex looked at the lives that others lived; the families that the clones had protected on many different worlds, the freedom of the Jedi to go where they pleased, and the people passing by on the streets headed for so many destinations, he felt something missing. He had hidden that longing deep inside of him, and it wasn't until recent years that he had even begun to realize himself that it was there.

And Ahsoka...well, he looked upon her in a different light now. He would never admit it to her or anybody else, but she grown up very beautifully, and suddenly he found he couldn't stop thinking about her. But she was a Jedi, and could have no attachments. Which is partly why they had moved him to the command of another Jedi after a certain number of years. He had spent too much time around both Anakin and Ahsoka, and his superiors had begun to worry about their affection for him as a close advisor and companion.

That hadn't stopped _his_ attachment, though, and he still looked up to General Skywalker with respect and admiration, and Ahsoka with...well, he wasn't sure. She had always been the "kid", and now she was the stunningly beautiful but dedicated Jedi. And he was still just that clone that obeyed orders without questions and jumped into the midst of danger without a second thought.

He hadn't spoken to her in years, either. The last time they did, she was seventeen. He had arrived to coolly inform her that, "The Jedi Council was requesting her presence, and she was expected to leave off-world on the next arriving Republic ship", to which she gave an acknowledging nod, and responded "Very good, Captain." Did she even remember him anymore? Had he become just another clone?

Call him obsessed, but Ahsoka was always on his thoughts: when he would next see her, if they would ever talk again, if she...loved him...like he loved her.

His head flooded with these thoughts, he followed the path Ahsoka had just taken, walking down the corridor and turning to the right, but instead of heading to the Jedi's personal quarters, he took a turn and headed for the equipment room. Rex entered the empty room, pulling off his helmet, feeling the cool air of the vent against his forehead, which was dampened by sweat. Slowly, one by one, he pulled off each part of his armor, until he was only wearing the regulation black uniform hidden underneath all of it. He felt rather stiff in all his armor, and it felt nice to be free of all that extra weight, even if he did feel a little exposed without it. He placed the battered armor on one of the shelves, and grabbed his helmet to carry with him. The armor was regulation for clones his rank, but the helmet...the helmet was _his_, and he wasn't about to leave it just anywhere. Replacing his combat boots back on his feet, he turned back to the corridor, and was returning to where the other soldiers were still clambering to get past each other to their barracks, when he heard her voice.

"Captain Rex."

He instantly swiveled on his feet to face the voice, and immediately saluted, his helmet tucked neatly under his left arm.

Ahsoka slowly stepped out of the darkness of the unlit corridor that headed to her personal quarters, the light revealing her delicate features. She seemed tired, and for some reason had chosen to leave the lights off in the hallway.

"Why are you out of uniform, Captain?"

"It was to my understanding that all the soldiers were to be on leave for the remainder of the week, sir."

"Oh? I was not informed of this. I will have to speak to your superiors. I was notified that all soldiers should be on alert. Perhaps they meant my squadron particularly."

Rex bowed his head in acknowledgment as she turned around and began to disappear into the darkness once again.

"General!" Rex suddenly burst out, surprising himself.

She halted, and he saw her head turn to the side, listening as she waited patiently.

"Ahsoka..." he began again, "...It was good to see you."

She made no movement, and he took her silence as a sign that perhaps he had been too forward. He nodded a last time, and continued down the hallway.

The next thing Rex felt was his body being slammed against the wall. Ahsoka's face was shoved right in front of his, her blue eyes peering into his brown ones, and her hands still clenching his collar where she had grabbed him and spun him around into the shadows of the hall where she stood.

"Blast it, Rex!" she said angrily, "Why couldn't you say anything earlier?"

He only looked at her dumbfounded, waiting, as she finally released her grip on him.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!" Ahsoka spoke up again, her voice seething, "We haven't spoken in _years_! Because you're the good little solider who obeys orders and forgets everybody they left behind once they move on. Now you think to speak to me?!" She spat out.

Rex wasn't expecting this. "Ahsoka..." He tried to explain, but she interrupted.

"Ever think about how I might have felt? I thought we were..." She shifted for a moment, eyes glancing away for a split second, "...close."

Then she glared at him again, shoving her face dangerously close to his. "And I know you didn't forget the past. I can sense it, every time I pass you. The anxiety, and worry. The recognition and excitement. Hell, even nervousness. But I've thought about you _every single day_ since you left!"

"And you think I haven't?" He raised an eyebrow. Her face pulled back from his in surprise.

"But I--"

She suddenly fell silent as a clone trooper's footsteps echoed down the hall, only beginning to speak when she heard the footsteps turn down a different corridor.

She opened her mouth to finish the sentence, but was cut off.

"Ahsoka, I never forgot you. I don't see why you think I would. I never spoke to you because you were my superior--"

Ahsoka snorted.

"--and because I thought you had forgotten me."

Now she looked straight into his eyes, searching.

"No. I didn't." Ahsoka gently raised her hand to his face, brushing his cheek lightly with the backside of her hand. "Did I _ever _miss you." she whispered.

Rex gave her a small grin. "You're not the only one who misses old friends."

He watched her ever so slightly flinch at that. "Is that all we are?" She asked quietly. "Friends?"

He felt his grin slowly fade away as he stared at her in surprise. "Ahsoka..."

"I'm a Jedi, and I'm not allowed to have attachments. But I'm willing to sacrifice all that, if I only I knew it was worth it."

"And I'm a clone, taught and trained to do the only thing I know how to do. No soldier has ever left the Republic army by means other than betrayal or death."

Her hands were gently pressed against his uniform as she earnestly whispered back, "Then maybe we should teach you something new."

He shook his head. "Listen, kid--"

Rex felt her fingers slide under his chin, holding his face to look at her. "Rex, I'm not a kid anymore."

He stared into her eyes. And in that moment, he made a decision. His hands were suddenly on either side of her face, drawing her towards him, as he gently kissed her lips, and then pulled her slightly away from him.

Ahsoka stared at him, surprised, and then broke out into a smile, shoving him against the wall, and wrapping her arms around his neck as she yanked his head down towards her, pressing her lips against his, where they stayed for the next couple minutes.

Rex felt a sudden burst of blissfulness. After serving the Republic for so long, didn't he deserve the right to be happy? He had Ahsoka, whom he had loved for so many years, and had only fantasized about a moment like this. He would give up everything for her.

As he felt her tighten her grip and kiss him harder, he wrapped his arms around her waist and had a sudden feeling that the remainder of his life would be worth every sacrifice he made for her.


End file.
